Intramural sports participants say they have sat and waited quietly since the spring semester, frustrated over the regular cancellations of their weekend games days before game-time accompanied by what they claim is poor explanation. A fresh batch of cancellations this fall created a brushfire waiting to happen. All it needed was a spark. And Christopher Smith was just the man to ignite it.
Smith, a junior business-media major who plays intramural outdoor soccer, held nothing back last week in a e-mail he sent to the UB Recreation and Intramurals Services office that created quite a stir.
"I just received news that yet again, intramural sports are cancelled this week," said Smith in the e-mail. "This is seriously becoming intolerable and completely ridiculous. We pay the university money and pay for intramurals to add on to that. We should not have to cancel week after week " The reasoning that people may get hurt or you don't want the fields getting ruined is completely ridiculous. What the kind of weather can you expect during the fall?"
To Ed Wright, the coordinator of intramurals, and Ed Michael, the director of Recreation and Intramural Services however, the reasons of bad weather, field, conditions, and player safety are far from ridiculous.
"(The cancellations) happened just recently but now the fields are in better shape than they've been in," said Wright. "The weather patterns in the last few years have been just horrendous. We wouldn't be responsible to our jobs if we didn't think about the safety issues involved."
"That young man has a right to be upset," said Michael. "But I think he has to realize that there are other issues involved here like safety, and you cannot simply trash a field."
Michael added that the original letter sent to the Recreation and Intramurals office was "laced with profanity," whereas the letters Smith copied to other venues, such as The Spectrum, were clean. Because of this, Michael questioned Smith's integrity, but remained open to what was said.
"Can we do better?" said Michael. "Absolutely. Are we going to listen to Chris Smith? Absolutely."
But Smith is not the only frustrated intramural participant, and he went as far in his e-mail as to suggest that disgruntled players would form their own "non-university sanctioned" league if the situation did not improve.
"If enough people were interested in this type of league, I'd be all for it," said Jim Daily, a junior psychology major who plays softball, volleyball and flag football.
"Throughout the week, the athletes count on being able play their intramural sport when the weekend comes around because they get to take out some of frustrations, get some exercise, or just have some fun," said Nick Sprague, a sophomore history major and intramural soccer captain.
"Due to the cancellations of our first two weeks of intramurals we are now going to be forced to play extra games during other days, so we will be playing three games all in two hours," said Sprague. "We have had all four of our games cancelled. If the school actually cancels the season I think it would be a very good idea to establish our own league that is not affiliated with the school."
Michael insisted that although the participants complaints are valid and need to be addressed, students like Chris Smith do not see the entire picture.
"You have to understand is that we're here to serve the students, not to be adversarial with them," said Michael. "What were trying to do here is offer programming that satisfies the physical activities needs of students."
Michael said that the problem with the fields is that overuse of them wears away the top layers, leaving mostly clay, which is a hard surface to play on and does not drain well.
"With the weather patterns changed, the fields could not take that kind of punishment. There were complete cancellations of intramural sports all over the east coast (last spring)," Michael said. "This wasn't unique to us."
Yet for intramural participants, this raises the gripe that club sports are allowed to play while their games get cancelled.
"If they are so worried about the fields being ruined, why do the club teams still get to both practice and play on them?" said Jenna Lefort, a junior psychology major and soccer captain. "As far as players safety, all of us have played through high school and on other club teams on these same types of field conditions, in this same type of weather."
According to Michael, several years ago there was a spade of intramurals injuries, including a broken ankle, a broken leg and several concussions.
"We made the best decision we could have made at the time, and we could have made it again," said Michael. "I doubt very much that there will be a need to cancel any outdoor activities through the end of the season. Games are scheduled with this weather problem in mind."
He added that the field maintenance budget for both sport clubs and intramurals has been increased by $10,000 in the past year.
Wright said the weather problem is nothing new to the athletics department and that the discussion of several solutions is underway. Among the remedies is the possibility of an $83 million recreational complex.
"It's going to have all the bells and whistles. It'll have six basketball courts, a climbing wall, the Outdoor Pursuits center, racquetball and squash courts, an indoor jogging and walking track, food court, juice bar, pool, locker rooms and a multi-activity gym in which you could play indoor soccer and floor hockey."
Michael also said in the near future the old football field may be renovated with new turf and lights, which would decrease the dependency on the dirt fields soccer and flag football.
The promise of such a renovation to some, however, is bittersweet.
"Near future?" said Daily, the junior who plays flag football, softball and volleyball. "I want to play my sport now, not when I'm graduated and looking for a job, thanks."
Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki
